PFD for the ladies

[Redpaddle]

Looking for a good pfd for my girlfriend for x-mas. looking in the <$100 range, comfy but not necessarily kayak specific.

Any ladies have good recommendations on brand/model?

Anybody have one for sale in good condition?


Saw some pretty sweet deals online for an Astral Hybrid and Grunion, anyone have experience with these models? My thought was that the Grunion might be a little pocket heavy for whitewater...

[lhowemt]

Gals (and guys in the know), can probably help out more if you provide more information. Long torso, busty, petite, burly, none of, etc?????

[Redpaddle]

Short athletic girl with ~C cups, short dark hair and fetching brown eyes. She likes long walks on the beach and NPR podcasts. Fan of the ambers and wheat beers but nothing too stout or hoppy. Anything else you want to know?

[BoilermakerU]

Pictures. We need pictures. How else would we possibly be able to help?

Actually, I'm a firm believer in going to the local shops and spending an hour or so trying them on. What's comfortable for one C cup may not be for another.

My wife tried on what I probably would have purchased for her based on recommendations, and hated it. She ended up with the same PFD I wear, hers is just pink (my daughter picked the color for her LOL ).

[Jensjustduckie]

Based on her beer choices she's a woman after my own heart, not that she'll fit the same jacket though.

I love my Astral Willis, I tried the Bella (womens version of the willis) but it dug into my sides too much by the time I had it cinched up. LOVE the Willis - no bulky padding up front to prevent my tuck and it moves with my body so I never feel restricted by my PFD.

I had an Astral vest before that I did not like so much, can't remember the name - it was a slip on type with no zipper or buckles - way to bulky and I could never really cinch it down to a point where I felt safe if someone needed to pull me out of the water by my shoulder straps.

[lhowemt]

Whoa, too much information dude. Yeah, go to the local shops. Figure it out for yourself.

[Redpaddle]

Unfortunately, I was not endowed with C cups myself (alas!), and cannot try on vests at the shop to see what would fit my girlfriend. Add to that the fact that the nearest paddle shop for me is 2.5 hrs away. And an IOU to go to a paddle shop and try on PFD's for Christmas leaves something lacking.

Just looking for input from others who were lucky enough to be born with fun bags.

What works? what doesn't? I realize everyone is built different, just asking opinion. Maybe I should move this over to Betty Buzz...

[summitraftgirl]

I'm endowed with decent B's and I wear a Lotus Designs pfd (now called the Patagonia Lola). It has indentions in the front on the inside for the funbags so that the vest doesn't get too tight there. I LOVE it and have worn it for four straight seasons. I'm also a fan of the tri-panel design - super comfy and great range of motion. It has great flotation as well. Love your idea of getting it as an xmas gift - what a lucky girl! Maybe get it from a place that doesn't mind of you need to exchange, just in case it's not comfortable to her.

[mgpaddler]

My wife wears a BetSea by Stohlquist. Claims to be anatomically correct, Has B-D cup size fitting torso, lots of adjustment, good floatation. She likes it. She is smallish, 5'5", short waisted, C/D cup. I would think a very long torso may have fit issues with this, but couldn't say for sure.

[sarahkonamojo]

Over your price range, but check out the Girls at Play pfd. Girls At Play, LLC - WaterGirlsAtPlay.com | Online Store (It is a Kokatat Ronin.)
I tried one on, very comfy.

I use an astral.